Beethoven
Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of the Holy Roman Empire, Beethoven displayed his musical talents at an early age and was taught by his father Johann van Beethoven and by composer and conductor Christian Gottlob Neefe. At the age of 21 he moved to Vienna, where he began studying composition with Joseph Haydn and gained a reputation as a virtuoso pianist. He lived in Vienna until his death. By his late 20s his hearing began to deteriorate, and by the last decade of his life he was almost completely deaf. In 1811 he gave up conducting and performing in public but continued to compose; many of his most admired works come from these last 15 years of his life.
Beethoven
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 9, 'Choral'
BEETHOVEN Overtures: Leonore 2 & 3
movements from:
BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 4
BEETHOVEN Missa Solemnis
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 9
Live and Studio Recordings, 1933-1950
Total duration: 2hr 28:13
Rudolf Serkin, piano
Kerstin Lindberg-Torlind, Erika Rokyta, soprano
Else Jena, Ingeborg Steffensen, contralto
Erik Sjøberg, Koloman Von Pátaky, tenor
Holger Byrding, Alexander Kipnis, bass
Statsradiofoniens Symfoniorkester
conducted by Fritz Busch
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 1
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 5
BEETHOVEN Violin Concerto - Live & Studio recordings
BEETHOVEN Egmont Overture
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 3 - Scherzo (bonus track)
Live and studio recordings, 1919-1950
Total duration: 2hr 28:56
Adolf Busch, violin
Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra of New York
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra
Orchester des Württembergischen Landes-Theaters (bonus track)
conducted by Fritz Busch
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 3 'Eroica'
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 7
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 8
HAYDN Symphony No. 101 'Clock'
Studio and live recordings, 1950
Total duration: 2hr 14:24
Niederösterreichisches Tonkünstlerorchester
Vienna Symphony Orchestra
conducted by Fritz Busch
Total duration: 3hr 46:42
The Busch Quartet
BEETHOVEN String Quartet No. 1
BEETHOVEN String Quartet No. 9
BEETHOVEN String Quartet No. 13
BEETHOVEN String Quartet No. 14
MENDELSSOHN Capriccio in E minor
Live recordings, 1951
Total duration: 2hr 22:10
Busch Quartet:
Adolf Busch, violin
Bruno Straumann, violin
Hugo Gottesmann, viola
Hermann Busch, violoncello
STRAVINSKY Le Chant du Rossignol
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 5
Recorded 1954
Total duration: 52:10
NBC Symphony Orchestra
conducted by Guido Cantelli